Where germs hide in your office?

You’ve just spent ages giving the office a really thorough clean. Unfortunately, it may be free of dust and rubbish but there are unseen dangers lurking in all offices. No, it’s not Phil’s forgotten lunch box, but rather the germs associated with the forgotten lunch box and those that we all carry with us.

The Centre of Disease Control in the US, separates the actions of cleaning and disinfecting. Cleaning is the superficial maintenance but disinfecting is getting to the germs that stay on a clean surface for hours. This is taking your cleaning to another level. Imperial Cleaning as part of our training and cleaning regime incorporate this vital step to ensure your office is truly clean.

Here are a few tips to get to the next level of clean in your office.

Washing hands

Encourage staff to clean their hands before touching food, after touching rubbish or after touching bodily fluids i.e. sneezing and going to the washroom. A recent study by the CDC showed that 31% of men and 65% of women washed their hands after using the bathroom.

The CDC regime recommends lathering either a liquid or bar soap for at least 20 seconds. If you’re not sure of how long that is, sing Happy Birthday twice. Get into all the crannies, the back of the hands, each finger and around the nail bed.

Telephones

These are a hot bed of germs as they are close to mouths. Germs like flu are spread when people touch surfaces like a telephone when they’re sick and then someone else uses the phone picking up those germs. Give the entire phone a clean using disinfectant grade cleaner.

Door knobs and surfaces

Another place where germs can linger for at least two hours. One sick employee can easily infect at least four or five more employees. That extra wipe of disinfectant in the morning clean will assist in keeping the germs at bay.

Keyboards

Another place where bits of food are dropped, drinks spilled etc. Unplug the computer, give the keyboard or laptop a gentle tap to remove crumbs and then wipe with a disinfectant cloth daily will aid in keeping fingers germ free.

Arms of chairs

Not an immediate area that springs to mind, but one we all touch every day and often. A quick wipe with a disinfectant cloth will soon put any concerns to rest.

The Occupational Care South Africa study in 2016 showed on average 15% to 30% of staff are sick on any given day. A disinfected office will aid in reducing sick employees and thereby making the office more productive.